Guardian of the Fox
by JulieArchery107
Summary: Seven-year-old Naruto Uzumaki is in desperate need of a watchful guardian-a big brother. Mycroft Holmes left the world of the living because he was convinced his family was better of without him. The Sage of Six Paths decided to unite the two lost souls and, perhaps, create a brighter future for the Village Hidden in the Leaves.
1. Chapter 1

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 1

"Killing two birds with one stone."

The Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, watched as a newly deceased soul materialized in the purgatory, with worry-wrinkles caressing his wise face.

Though he rarely indulges himself with visits to other dimensions, there was something…peculiar about this particular soul, that drove him into this world to watch it enter the place of spirits that are yet to be given a place in either Heaven or Hell.

As the shapeless orange glowing figure sloppily took its proper form, one that resembles the body it occupied while it roamed on earth, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki was joined by his counterpart only known to all as simply God.

Despite having no definitive gender, said entity took the form of wise old man with gentle blue eyes, long white hair and a generous beard of the same color. His glowing body clad in simple cream colored robes that weren't dissimilar to the Sage's own and humble brown sandals protecting the balls of his feet, even though there was really nothing to stand on in this realm.

The bright entity next to him sighed and shook its head.

"What am I going to do with you?"

The Sage smiled sadly.

"Troublesome soul?"

A short laugh escaped God's throat before the somber mood returned.

"More than you imagine, dear friend." He then added with quiet affection in his voice. "He's a stubborn fool, that one."

"How so?" Hagoromo asked, generously curious as to what made his counterpart so conflicted about this particular mortal.

God sighed again.

"Imagine a small ginger haired boy, approximately four years old." His soothing voice instructed. "With big blue eyes filled with unfathomable intelligence that would put any educated adult to shame, as well as childlike wonder regarding everything around him." The Sage closed his eyes and the small youthful face of Shikaku Nara filled his vision. "The boy knows he's different. He sees the distrust in other children's eyes whenever he talks to them. He notices the way adults around stare at him as if he was a freak, whenever he revealed a vaster knowledge concerning a certain topic than they had."

The deity paused for a while, watching the newly formed soul stumble as he took his first steps in the new environment. "All of that made him isolate himself from everyone else, not wanting to intrude where he's so obviously unwelcome. Spending days locked in his room with his nose permanently buried in books, when he should be running around with his age-mates without a care in the world…"

Hagoromo sighed sadly.

Though what has been said might have been everyday life for children in one particular clan in his

Ignoring the isolation and scorn, this was everyday life for children in one particular clan in his world - the Nara clan. Their offspring were born with genius level intelligence, but their talent and abilities were regarded with respect and awe. Just thinking that similarly talented children could be treated so differently, made his heart sore with sympathy.

"His parents noticed that, of course." God continued his tale. "But could see no way of helping their son connect with other children, if the boy himself didn't see the point in even trying." He shook his mighty head. "So they did the next best thing and, three years later, he was presented with his first charge - a little brother." The present world's deity looked into Hagoromo's purple eyes. "As you can possibly imagine the boy took his position as older brother very seriously, covering up for his younger sibling whenever that one messed up. When it became apparent that said little brother had similar intelligence levels, he taught him a technique called 'deduction', which allows the user to figure out information about others based on their overall appearance. The youngster quickly took a liking to it, though he could never quite best his older brother in it."

The Sage of Six Paths smiled softly.

"They seemed to be very close." He whispered.

"They were…" God stated quietly. "But then…tragedy struck in the form of the third child, the youngest daughter."

Hagoromo's smile vanished, replaced by confusion.

"This girl…" The other deity shook his head. "was beyond average level intelligence just like her two older brothers but, unlike them, she was mentally unstable. From the moment she met him, she was obsessed with her second oldest brother. Following him around like a shadow, wanting to be his only companion and friend, going so far as to drown his best friend in a well in order to achieve her goal." He then looked at the glowing orange soul as it shakily walked up to a nearby wall and sat beneath it, head hidden in long legs. "The eldest brother knew she was the one who made the poor boy drown, and felt personally responsible for being unable to somehow stop her." His voice quieted. "He tried to tell the adults but…"

"They didn't believe him." Hagoromo finished, catching on to what was about to be said.

"No." The other deity sighed. "No, they did not."

" _Fools_." The Sage sneered.

"A parent's love for their child can be blinding." God countered. "To them their innocent little girl would never commit such an act, and the older brother was simply jealous of the attention they've been giving her."

Hagoromo snorted.

"Only shows how well they knew their eldest child." His usually even voice was filled with disgust. "If he spent all his free hours trying to keep his younger siblings safe and sound, they should have known he would never say nor do anything that would hurt them in any way shape or form."

The other deity, having no retort to that, stayed silent. They watched the spirit's still form begin to shake with sobs that refused to be suppressed for much longer, as his bright orange glow of a newborn spirit began to dim.

"Not long after the girl tried to burn down the house in order to get rid of her oldest brother, a relative of the children, an uncle, kidnapped and hid her. When the rest of her family couldn't find her, he told them she was dead." God continued softly. "In actuality he took her to a secured island, far away from human civilization, so that she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone else."

"Finally." The Sage nodded in approval. "A reasonable adult who finally decided to do something about the child's murderous tendencies."

"It should have ended there." God continued, his voice sad. "But the eldest wasn't fooled."

"Ah…" Hagoromo sighed in understanding. "The curse of having a genius mind."

His counterpart nodded.

"Next chance he got, the boy confronted his uncle and demanded the truth." He shook his head. "Once he got his answers he requested to see her."

The Sage frowned.

"The boy did not trust him."

"No…No, not one bit." God agreed with a sigh. "But he was also aware that the man was the only one who knew where his sister had been taken, and if he wanted to see her again, he had to stomach the man's presence until the destination has been reached."

The Almighty paused and focused his eyes back on the newest soul.

With the orange glow gone they could both see the topic of their conversation.

Despite being curled in a tight ball, they knew the man was tall, middle aged and dressed in a charcoal colored suit. His sharp blue eyes were hidden under a short red fringe.

"Once he found her and made sure she was safe, he demanded to be informed regularly of her condition."

This took the Sage by surprise.

"He didn't try to take her home?"

"No. He realized that, in order to prevent more horrors from occurring, Eurus needed to stay locked up. Even if that meant keeping her continued existence from their parents."

"But didn't he realize that, if they ever found out what he did they would-"

"He was prepared to take that risk." God interrupted Hagoromo before the fellow god had a chance to finish. "As long as what he did assured him that those he loved were safe, no sacrifice was deemed too great."

The wise Sage of Six Paths chuckled sadly and shook his head.

"What is it?" God asked, eyebrow raised.

"Nothing it's just…I didn't think such selfless people still existed in your domain."

"Ah…" God nodded and turned back to the poor unfortunate soul. "Yes, most would think they died out with Mother Teresa or St. John Paul II but...there he was, proving everyone wrong."

"So...may I ask what seems to be the problem with him?" Hagoromo asked, clearly confused. "His placement should be pretty obvious, I would say."

God sighed.

"It is true that, while all his actions were driven by the desire to protect his loved ones…" He started slowly. "Not everything he did obeyed my ten commandments."

God took a deep breath.

"Sometimes his job forced him to send hundreds to their deaths, so that thousands could survive."

"And with a mind like his…" Hagoromo thought out loud. "He probably remembered every single person he had to sacrifice."

God nodded and then sighed.

"As you can see, he's a man on the side of angels...that has committed crimes worthy of the devil's highest praise."

"Neither fully good…" The Sage whispered. "Nor fully evil."

Another sad sigh escaped the other god's mouth as he repeated the words he said at the beginning of their conversation.

"What am I going to do with you?"

Hagoromo looked back at the topic of their conversation before asking:

"How did he die? He does not look old enough for it to be his time yet."

"Suicide." God answered curtly. "Turns out the price he had to pay for keeping them safe was just too much for him to bear."

The Sage dipped his head.

"They turned their backs on him, didn't they?"

"Yes." God shook his head. "Every. Single. One. Of. Them."

Hagoromo then thought about a small blond boy, living alone in desperate need of an older brother. A brother like Mycroft Holmes.

"I might have an idea…"

* * *

AN: I realized that I like placing BBC Mycroft in other universes, much to his obvious disdain:

Mycroft: Though I admire your faith in me, you should really stop throwing me in places i don't belong in.

Me: But you can solve so much prooooooblems!

Mycroft: Well yes, but-

Me: And you're so aweeeeesome.

Mycroft: I'm glad you think so, but-

Me: And you are so smart even the smartest characters in this world could learn a thing or two from you!

Mycroft: I fail to see how my intelligence compared to that of other character has anything to do with what we're discussing, and you are not letting me finish!

Me: *looks at him with big puppy blue eyes* It would save a lot of people, Mycroft.

Mycroft: *looks like he wants to argue*

Mycroft: *decides against it*

Mycroft: *changes his mind*

Mycroft: *gets sidetracked by puppy eyes no jutsu*

Mycroft: *reminds himself of who he is and just why England is practically wrapped around his finger*

Mycroft: *tries to ignore the genjutsu but is unsuccessful*

Mycroft: *wash-rinse-repeat of said actions about ten times*

Mycroft: *throws hands in the air* Bah! *walks away all huffy*

Me: Yay!


	2. Chapter 2

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 2

"Someone who needs you."

Hagoromo floated towards the broken soul, careful not to hit any of the freshly forming souls on his way.

"Greetings." He said, once he was close enough, in the man's native language. "My name is Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo. I am here to-"

"Anata wa watashi no tame ni hon'yaku suru hitsuyō wa arimasen." The man's voice said, cutting the other off with perfect Japanese. "Nihongo wa watashi no shuyōna gengode wa arimasenga, watashi wa sore ga sukunakutomo sore ni kan'nōdearu to shinjitaidesu. _*_ "

The Sage blinked for a second, caught by surprise, before gracing the Purgatory with booming laughter.

"So you are." He said, purple eyes twinkling with mirth. "Though I appreciate the thought, I fear a chance to use your native language will not arrive nearly fast enough, so allow me to stick to it for now."

Silver-blue eyes peeked from under the red fringe, staring up at the strange looking god; taking in his strange paleness, strange looking purple eyes, the long horns sticking out of his head, blank eyes, and the fact that he was floating..

The Sage felt the silence was begging to be uncomfortable so he cleared his throat.

"As I was saying, I am here to make you an offer."

"I am not interested in any offers." Those sharp orbs closed and looked away.

"Ah… but you might be once I explain everything."

The man snorted.

"You have nothing I could possibly want."

"Oh?" Hagoromo smiled. "Are you quite sure? What if I told you, I have the power to give you a chance to redeem yourself?"

The human's red head suddenly snapped towards him, a sparkle of hope lighting the dull orbs before going out just as quickly as it appeared.

"Nothing you propose will ever atone for the atrocities I've committed." Mycroft whispered, arms tightening around his knees. "Even if you sent me back to a time where everything was… normal, it wouldn't change anything."

"And why is that?" The god asked, genuinely curious. Usually people begged for a chance to go back and right the wrongs they committed, believing that if they just 'hadn't done that one thing' or 'said those words', none of the tragedies would happen.

In all that frantic begging, they forgot about one very important thing concerning destiny.

The fact that no matter what you do to prevent something from happening, it will still occur. One way or another.

Destiny won't change just because you prevented an event from happening at its scheduled time.

It is patient, it can wait.

If not today perhaps tomorrow, or in five days… a month.

You can't stop it. Nothing can.

And it seems that Hagoromo's new friend understood that.

"If I had to… I'd do it all over again." He said seriously. "I just can't see any other way…"

The Sage nodded his head sadly.

"You fear that, had you brought her back as a child, your parents would continue ignoring her murderous tendencies and more lives would be lost."

"I wouldn't be able to stop her." Mycroft's voice was shaking. "Even as an adult I couldn't. Not for good."

"It had to happen." The Sage said, tone firm. "For such was her path to take."

"While a part of me wants to believe you're telling the truth." The red haired man admitted quietly. "Another can't shake the feeling that there was something I could have done to make all that occurred, a little less painful for everyone involved."

"From what I've heard it wasn't your choice to lock your sister up, and lie to your parents about her condition." Hagoromo countered. "That remains on your uncle's plate."

"What kind of a older brother goes along with it?" Mycroft's voice was bitter.

"A responsible one."

The Holmes snorted.

"Liar."

"Would you rather react like any other human would in your place, and kill her?"

"Why would anyone-"

"She was a danger." The Sage explained. "A murderer that would only get more creative in her schemes as she got older. A walking time bomb, just waiting to explode." He then locked his strange purple orbs on Mycroft's icy-blue ones.

"Do you honestly believe anyone else would leave her alive?"

The man had no answer to that, he just looked away.

Hagoromo's eyes softened.

"Had you been the monster you claim to be, you wouldn't allow her to live another day, only to one day reappear in your family's life and threaten everything you swore to protect."

"I was her big brother." Mycroft's small voice said. "I was responsible for her."

"Perhaps that's part of the reason why neither her nor her brother ever grew up." The Sage suggested quietly. "They didn't have to take responsibility for their actions because you always did that for them, always bailed them out of trouble...always took the blame."

Silence answered his little speculation.

Wanting to take the man's mind away from other reasons to blame everything on himself, the god cleared his throat.

"Regardless, let us go back to the offer I was going to present to you." Not waiting for the human to answer Hagoromo continued. "While there is no way for you to change what happened to your family, as their destinies have already been foretold, and you are part of the same timeline... there is a world out there where, having you weaved into the timeline, could save a little boy from years of unjustified abuse."

 _That_ caught the man's attention.

Immediately the broad shoulders squared, and sharp blue eyes narrowed dangerously.

The Sage smiled under his nose.

If there was one thing he knew the elder Holmes brother will _never_ stand for, it was child abuse.

He waved a pale hand and an orb showing little Naruto Uzumaki laying on the ground curled up in a ball, being beat up by both adults and children, appeared before the soul.

"He could use a big brother like you."

The only response he got…

Was the sound of hands being curled into fists.

* * *

Naruto was having a bad day.

The son of the Fourth Hokage was waiting for the kick he saw coming before he closed his blue eyes. Arms tightening around his blond head, and knees pressing harder against his tiny chest.

But…

To his astonishment…

It never came.

Instead, he heard the loud crack of a fist colliding with a jawbone and the dull thud of a body landing quite heavily on the floor.

 _Huh?_ He thought, opening one of his baby-blue eyes to see what happened.

What appeared before his eyes was something he never thought would ever happen.

Somebody actually stood up for him.

A boy, one he could tell was two maybe three years older than him with short red hair, stood in front of him. Hands clenched into fists, his body separating Naruto from his attackers.

"What the _hell_ man?!" The Uzumaki looked over to his previous assaulter, who was on his arse rubbing his cheek where the newcomer's fist collided with his face.

"Leave." Naruto shivered from the coldness of the older boy's voice. "Or you will end up with something more fatal than a punch in the face."

The villager growled and promptly stood up.

"Look, kid, you're needlessly getting into something that doesn't involve you." He said. "Step away from the demon child and we'll forget this ever happened."

For a single, terrifying, solitary second Naruto thought his unexpected protector will actually do as he was told, but all he did was get his body in a more offensive position.

"I'm not going anywhere." The boy said, his voice frighteningly calm. "And, if you're unlucky enough…"

Naruto could see the villager's bravado falter when he heard what the other kid said next.

" _Neither will **you**._"

To any outsiders, the day Naruto was having was one of the worst. First he overslept and was late for class, with Iruka-sensei yelling at him for that, and then the ambush on his way home.

But, if one was to ask the child himself…

He would have said this was the best day of his life.

* * *

AN: Has anyone noticed that I hate Eurus? Because I hate Eurus. Very much.

Translation for the Japanese part:

 _*You don't have to translate for me. While Japaneses isn't my main language, I like to believe I'm at least proficient in it._


	3. Chapter 3

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 3

"Rise of the protector."

To be quite honest with himself, Mycroft wasn't exactly sure _what_ he expected to see the next time he opened his eyes.

The most logical thing that came to his mind at the moment was that he'll be blinded by the lights of the hospital ceiling, then promptly informed that his stupid baby brother found him before he even had the chance to _die_ properly.

Everything that happened: appearing in a strange place glowing a bright orange color, and speaking with the floating figure that possessed the weirdest purple eyes he's ever seen, was nothing but a hallucination caused by blood-loss.

He'd be faced with the reprimanding and terrified look on his little brother's face, and a long scolding from his parents about being selfish.

How could he even _think_ about offing himself when _Eurus_ still needs all the help she can get? Is he _really_ expecting _Sherlock_ to fix the terrible mess _he_ made? Does he ever think about someone _besides_ himself?

Really, hearing all those questions/accusations leave the mouths of his parents, one could get the impression that Mycroft _didn't_ spend his entire life trying to look out for his family.

Had he been a lesser man, the elder Holmes brother would have taken insult to such statements and properly defended himself, an aura of absolute control and raw power oozing from every icy word he spoke, all the way back during the faithful conversation about a girl long since thought dead.

But Mycroft was Mycroft.

He felt disappointed in himself as did his parents (he could have done better), felt guilty about not being able to tell them about his sister (he would if he could) and angry at his peers for getting him to agree to the meeting of Eurus Holmes and James Moriarty (he should have known they'd use the opportunity of him running on fumes to their advantage).

But most importantly though…

He just felt _used_.

Like a vacuum cleaner.

Only reached for when there is a mess to clean up. Expected to deal with the mess and then go back to the corner until further notice.

What use was he to them now that he was broken?

He foresaw this among the first fifteen likely scenarios to happen in his wake.

What he most definitely did _not_ foresee, was materializing into a strange new world, looking like a slimmer version of the ten-year-old chubby child he once was, dressed in a white t-shirt and black pants.

True, he was informed that he'd be placed into a new dimension and tasked with taking care of a young boy but…

He honestly hoped he would at _least_ retain his adult body.

Now he was stuck with one that is four times too small.

But, at the moment, none of this mattered.

Right now, what mattered was showing those damned villagers just what happens to those who beat up innocent children on his watch.

"What the _hell_ man?!" The bully ( _seventeen-year-old, third eldest brother. Obvious leader of this mob. No father, mother alcoholic. Owns a mongrel, is allergic to peanuts, has an unexplained hatred towards the child I'm now protecting_ ) yelled rubbing his cheek.

Narrowing his eyes and schooling his face into a perfect Iceman mask, he fell into a basic defensive position.

"Leave." His squeaky ten-year-old voice was _far_ from the intimidating velvet tones he grew accustomed to, but beggars can't be choosers. "Or you'll end up with something more fatal than a punch in the face."

The teen growled and got to his feet, his followers murmuring behind him.

"Listen, kid, you're needlessly getting into something that doesn't involve you." The annoying prat had the gall to say. "Step away from the demon child and we'll forget this ever happened."

At this point all rationality has left the elder Holmes brother, his mind going back to the time both he and Sherlock were mercilessly bullied back in their childhood.

He remembered their faces, each and every one of them. He remembered their names, addresses, phone numbers and where they struck him when he jumped between them and his brother.

The fox-haired sibling didn't care if they beat him up, lock him in a locker or take away his homework.

Mycroft was strong. He could take it and pretend nothing happened the next day.

It was when they began turning on Sherlock when he started holding grudges.

Years later, when he had enough power and control to bend the law as he saw fit, he tracked them down…

And proceeded to completely _destroy_ them.

Their work? He made sure nobody in their right mind would hire them.

Their families? He dug out all their embarrassing secrets just by looking at them, and then sent them on a silver platter to their wives or husbands, along with divorce papers filled up and just needing their signatures to be empowered.

Their homes? Sold, destroyed, burned.

It didn't matter that they were just kids when this all occurred.

It didn't matter that they most likely didn't even remember why all those things were happening to them in the first place.

What mattered was they dared to lift a finger against someone he held dear.

Their fates were sealed the moment their fists connected with Sherlock's cheeks.

Mycroft was a born protector, a guardian.

He never took kindly to people threatening his charges, and he made sure it was known.

None of Sherlock's offenders lived to tell the tale.

Depending on the scale of said offence, they died either from having nothing left to live for or sent to the war front and torn to shreds by bullets.

The rules were simple: Never hurt anyone that Mycroft Holmes cares about, if you do he'll hurt you right back ten times harder.

 _Demon_. He thought, fist shaking in anger. _He called this poor, defenseless child a **demon**. _

Those unfortunate villagers were about to experience the consequences of breaking that one crucial rule.

"I'm not going anywhere." He said, the eerie calmness in his tone doing wonders to cover the squeakiness of his childish voice. "And if you're unlucky enough…"

Mycroft's deducting skills didn't have enough data to figure out why said man decided to brand this seven-year-old with such an insult.

Maybe he had his reasons.

Maybe he did it to feel in control for once in his life.

Maybe this was the only way he knew how to cope with his father being gone and his mother slowly drinking herself to death.

Or maybe he was just a jerk that enjoyed preying on smaller children for his own amusement.

Mycroft couldn't care less.

There was _nothing_ a boy like this could have done to deserve such treatment.

And the elder Holmes would be _damned_ if he let them lay another _finger_ on this unfortunate soul.

"Neither are you."

The mere second those words left his mouth he launched, movements far faster than those of a child his age should be, fist heading towards an unprotected cheek.

With Mycroft's mind not yet accustomed to occupying a much smaller body, it was a miracle the hit even landed.

But, fortunately, it did.

Giving the elder Holmes both the satisfaction of seeing the offender fall to his backside again, and the knowledge that the teenager had no combat training whatsoever. If he had, he would have blocked that pathetic punch.

And if the self-proclaimed leader of the gang didn't have any martial arts training… then neither did his lackeys.

Those brutes relied mostly on their large numbers and raw brute strength to instill fear in their chosen prey.

 _Obviously._ His inner Iceman scoffed. _Why do you think they only target little children?_

An image of a terrified five-year-old Sherlock popped up in his mind. Tiny nose bleeding and small hands covering dark locks to prevent further harm coming to his face and head.

At this point, Mycroft saw red.

He lashed out, body kicking into a rusty autopilot from years spent being a MI6 agent.

His body was a whirlwind of movement, his hands missing the trusty weight of his beloved butterfly knives as they had to make do with punches and slaps, feet finding their way up one person's face before switching to crush another man's guts under their pressure.

The elder Holmes was caught up in a dance he hasn't been danced in a long long time, taking down assailant after assailant and leaving them moaning on the ground.

The poor fools didn't stand a chance.

Soon there was nobody left standing, save for the unfortunate leader held up by the pissed off fox-haired child.

"Listen to me, you pathetic waste of oxygen." He hissed in Japanese, since the language seems to be local in this place. "If you hurt this or _any_ child again, I'll make sure you spend the rest of your pathetic life as a helpless cripple. Seen as nothing but an additional weight to you already broken family."

The brute had the dignity to stop himself from crying.

"You have no idea what you are protecting." The boy whispered, looking deep into Mycroft's eyes. "He's a monster."

The elder Holmes's saw the truthfulness in his words.

Even if the boy was wrong… he believed himself to be correct.

Mycroft's resolve steeled.

This changes nothing.

"I don't care." He whispered to the teenager's ear, before punching the poor sod into oblivion.

The elder Holmes forgot the boy he was protecting was right there until he heard him breathe out:

"Woah…"


	4. Chapter 4

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 4

"Bonds in the making."

"That-that was amazing!" Turning around to face the exited seven-year-old, Mycroft took the opportunity to learn more about his new charge.

The boy was small for his age ( _Dear God, he's smaller than the already tiny Sherlock was at that age_ ), his hair was spiky and almost cartoonishly yellow ( _so very different from his little brother's dark, fluffy curls_ ), his eyes the clearest blue he has ever seen ( _he wasn't sure such a color was even physically possible_ ), and his chubby cheeks adored by whisker-like scars.

But that was not all he deduced.

He also saw the bruised ( _injured right shoulder, favoring the left leg, large bruise forming on the ribs, scratches on arms from children nails_ ), malnourished body ( _orphan, lives alone, barely gets enough money to afford food_ ) and the dirty clothes ( _the shirt and trousers haven't been washed in exactly three weeks, and are a size too small as he grew out of them about a week ago_ ).

"You were like'' The boy lowered his voice to mimic that of Mycroft's. "'Leave or face a fate worse than a hit cheek!'" "You sound a bit off, by the way, but that's okay! I don't mind! And they were like 'Nope!' an-and then you were surrounded, and then you started swirling and punching like… like a real ninja! Are… are you a ninja? If you are, c-can you teach me that? I-It's okay if you're not a ninja, I still want to learn those awesome moves!"

Mycroft chuckled under his breath, kneeling before the injured child.

"I am not a ninja, I'm afraid." He stated, language setting for permanent Japanese and amusement clear in his voice, "I'm something more of a… mercenary. _But_ " he quickly interrupted, seeing the child's excitement faltering "I'm sure I can teach you a thing or two if you're up to it."

Blue eyes brightened considerably, the boy struggling to his feet.

"I-I'm up to it! Ow!" A pained yelp escaped the poor kid's mouth as he tried to stand up on his injured leg.

"Though your enthusiasm to learn is commendable, I think we should patch you up first, don't you?" Mycroft said, pushing the boy towards the ground gently.

The child chuckled softly before looking up at him with a large toothy grin.

"Right!"

Mycroft nodded.

"Alight. Since you can't stand I believe the only option of transport is giving you a piggyback ride." The fox-haired youth then turned his back towards the smaller child. "Can you place your arms around my neck?"

"I… I think so." Mycroft could hear the boy struggling behind him before a gentle weight pressed against his back, and a pair of dirty arms made their way around his throat.

"Very good." He nodded, moving his hands towards the boy's legs to support their weight. "Are you holding on tight?"

"Y-Yes."

"Alright. I'm going to stand up now, okay? Hold on." Felling the skinny arms around his throat tighten, Mycroft slowly raised to a standing position, slightly bothered by how little the tiny child weighted. It felt more like picking up a child-sized ragdoll than an actual child.

Having accomplished that, the red-haired youth turned around and began walking towards the direction, which the tiny footsteps on the dirt road told him his new charge was heading towards, before the attack began.

"Now… with that settled, how about telling me your name, hmm?" Mycroft asked, after taking a few steps and adjusting his hold on the blonde's legs.

"Hai! My name is Naruto Uzumaki and I'm going to become the Hokage when I grow up! Believe it!"

The elder Holmes had no idea what a 'Hokage' was, but it was nice to know his new baby brother had a goal he can help him achieve.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. My name is Mycroft Holmes." He said, glaring daggers at the passing villagers that were sending them both dirty looks. Some had a bit of decency and looked away. Others sneered even harder.

Mycroft made sure to remember them in the future.

"Mai-kuro-futo?" The child tried to pronounce the foreign name, making the fox-haired boy wince. He forgot how hard it was to pronounce for those outside an english speaking country, as everyone in his line of work, people from other countries included, were already used to calling him Mr. Holmes. "You have a very strange name, Maikurofuto-san."

"With the way you say it, I'm inclined to agree." The red-head deadpanned with a chuckle. "How about we stick with calling me Maik? It's certainly easier to say."

' _I'd probably burn my house down in shame if Sherlock and Mummy ever heard me say that._ ' He thought a bit bitterly. ' _It's a good thing they're not here to enjoy this, or something really would end up burning._ '

He felt Naruto giggle against his back.

"Alright, Maik-san." The blonde then wriggled a wee bit. To everyone's eyes it looked as if he was just adjusting to Mycroft's hold over him, to the Holmes himself it was clear he was trying to hide as much as he could from the disapproving glares being thrown their way.

To get Naruto's mind of the bullying villagers, Mycroft decided it was time to learn a bit about this new world.

"You mentioned becoming the 'Hokage' when you grow up." Receiving a small nod of confirmation against the back of his neck, the fox-haired boy continued. "What exactly does a 'Hokage' do?"

A shocked gasp could be heard behind him.

"You don't know who a Hokage is, Maikurofuto-san?!"

"I assume it's a position of power, and I thought we agreed to call me 'Maik'." Even though it pains my very existence to tell you to do so. "You may have noticed that I'm not exactly from here."

"But everyone knows who the Hokage is!" The child insisted. "Don't you have a Kage back in your village?"

After a few seconds of gears in Mycroft's genius head grinding, the red head came to one conclusion.

"This suggest that the 'Hokage' is a position of authority, am I right?" He asked following the pointed finger Naruto stuck out to indicate a turn.

"Uh-Huh! The Hokage is the strongest ninja in the village! He keeps everyone safe, has an awesome white hat, and everyone has to listen to him because he's the strongest!"

' _So, in other words,_ ' Mycroft's mind supplied helpfuly. ' _he's the equivalent of a mayor/governor. Basically the man calling the shots, as Anthea would say._ ' The thought of his faithful assistant brought a dull ache in his chest.

At least she was on his side when everyone else decided to turn their backs on him. Despite popular belief, she didn't stick with him simply because he was her boss.

Being with him 24/7 gave her insight into his heart, no matter how hard he pretended not to have one, and allowed her to see that everything he did was in the best interest of both his family and country.

She was probably the only person that genuinely liked his company and was really pissed-off with how the rest of the family treated him.

He wished he could apologise for not saying 'goodbye' before he... left.

Shaking the unpleasant thoughts away he focused on the child he was carrying.

"So the Hokage is the leader of the village, correct?"

"Hai!"

"But earlier you asked if my village has a 'Kage'. Does that have a separate meaning, or is it just short for Hokage?"

"Only Konoha has a Hokage, Maik-san." Naruto spoke, trying to sound wise. "You really don't know much about the Five Great Shinobi countries, do you, Maik-san? Did you drop out of the academy?"

Had Mycroft been drinking, he would have choked.

"W-What? No!" He shook his head sternly. "I did no such thing!"

"It's okay, Maik-san." Naruto patted him on the shoulder. "I don't like going to school either, but Iruka-sensei said I won't be able to become Hokage if I don't gradu-grade... pass the academy."

The red-haired Holmes closed his eyes, took a deep breath and counted to ten.

It was time to weave a believable lie, before the yellow-haired brat begins to think he's some kind of drop-out.

"To be quite honest with you, Naruto" ' _Ha!_ ' Mycroft's conscience laughed but he ignored it. "I wasn't raised in a village like you were." ' _That's not a lie so shut it!_ ' He thought back, before focusing on the story he was now telling.

"Really?" He could almost see the large blue eyes growing big in wonder and curiosity, and had to smirk. Naruto took the bait, hook, line and sinker.

It was time to put those manipulative skills he was so proud of to good use.

Let us see what else he's willing to buy.

"Indeed. Once the officials leading my country discovered I'm a genius, they took me from my parents and gave me to an outside facility."

"Why did they do that?"

"It's a simple political move, Naruto." Mycroft shrugged. "My intelligence posed a threat to their rein. They feared I would grow up and eventually overthrow them."

"They were afraid you'd become a Kage?"

"Indeed."

"But.. .why?" The child asked, confused. "Won't they be old and stinky by the time you grow up?"

Mycroft laughed at that.

"Perhaps." He agreed, amusement present in his voice. "Though I suspect it was more about securing their offsprings place on the throne, than theirs."

"Oooooh…" Naruto nodded in understanding behind him.

"Regardless of the actual reason, they wanted me out of the way. So they sent me to become their personal, mindless mercenary."

"Like ANBU?" Naruto perked up suddenly.

"...yes, exactly." ' _Note to self,_ ' The fox-haired youth thought. ' _Find out what 'ANBU', is._ '

"ANBU are mean." The blonde said, anger in his voice. "They never come to help me when the other villagers give me a hard time, even when the Hokage told them to be nice to me." His voice then lightened up considerably. "But you're not mean like the other ANBU, you're like a very nice ANBU."

Mycroft smiled though he knew the child could not see it.

"I'm glad you approve of me then."

There was a few minutes of silence before:

"Hey, Maik-san?"

"Yes?"

"What's a face-faic-facit-"

At that moment Mycroft got reminded he was talking to a child that, in fact, does not possess the same amount of knowledge that he and Sherlock had at that age.

"Facility?" He then suggested helpfully.

"Hai." Naruto nodded against his neck. "That is a strange word."

"Ah, it is a bit fancy, isn't it?" The older boy asked sheepishly.

"Uh-huh. You sound like a grown-up, Maik-san."

"Really? I didn't realize that... Well, in any case, I promise to use simpler words from now on, how does that sound?"

"Thank you, Maik-san!"

"Alright then, going back to you question, a 'facility' is a more 'grown-up' way of saying 'building'."

"Oooooh." Naruto nodded in understanding. "So they took you to a building?"

"Yes."

"What did you do then?" The blonde was fully entranced by Mycroft's tale.

"Naturally, I escaped once I was old enough to devise a successful plan." The older child exposited, the lie passing naturally through his lips. "I suppose I should thank them for giving me a sped up course on how to quickly kill a person. Otherwise I wouldn't be here to enjoy the sweet scent of freedom."

A few seconds of silence passed between them as they passed a ramen shop to their right, before Naruto broke it again.

"Hey... Maik-san?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think your mom and dad miss you?"

That question actually made the ginger-haired boy stop.

He thought back to the last time he saw them, remembering how angry they were with him about keeping Eurus's survival a secret. How they practically disowned him for doing what needed to be done.

How did they react to seeing the cold body of their prodigal son?

Did they disbelieve at first, having been tricked into thinking one of their children was dead, before?

Were they mad at him for taking the 'easy way out'? Did they feel guilty for driving him to suicide? Did they even attend his funeral?

Or were they too busy comforting their remaining children?

The amazing two that can, apparently, do no wrong in their eyes.

"No, I don't think they do." He whispered shaking his head and continuing his walk.

Why would they? He's been lying to them nearly all his life. Both about his little sister and about his true occupation. He betrayed their teachings and their trust, at least... in their eyes.

No. There was no reason for them to miss him.

"But... you were taken from them." The poor orphan asked quietly. "Why wouldn't they miss you?"

Mycroft swallowed thickly but answered nonetheless.

"Sometimes it's just easier to forget something is missing, than spending the rest of your days wondering if you'll ever get it back." He said eyes looking straight ahead. "I wouldn't really blame them if they replaced me with another child or two. For all they knew I wasn't coming home again and, even if we did manage to cross paths, I most likely wouldn't remember them."

"Oh…" The child behind him whispered. "That's... very sad."

Mycroft shrugged, pretending to be nonchalant about the subject.

"Life is as it is." He said, stopping in front of a large building Naruto has led him to, where he assumed his apartment was located. "I believe we have arrived."

"Y-Yeah…" The blonde child started to rummage his pant pockets for the keys to open the front door. "Here," a pair of silver keys appear in Mycroft's line of vision.

Nodding his head in thanks, the older boy made quick work with opening the door.

The apartment was as small as he expected it to be, if not smaller.

It had a total of two rooms: a bedroom and a bathroom, with the second room also playing the parts of the living room and kitchen.

Sneering at the small amount of space, and vowing to get a bigger one as soon as he gets enough money, the fox-haired youth entered the messy apartment and placed the injured child on a bed.

Having disposed of the additional weight from his back, Mycroft headed straight for the bathroom in search for some medical supplies. And was quite surprised when he found a nearly unused bottle of oxidized water, in the medicine cabinet.

Though, now that he thought about it, he couldn't see a seven-year-old using a disinfectant that stings any wound it touches, when simply hiding it with a bandaid was a lot less painful.

Shaking his head at the thought, Mycroft grabbed the bottle and some paper towels, and made his way towards the blonde child waiting for him.

After calmly explaining to Naruto why the 'stinging water' must be used on his cuts and bruises, Mycroft proceeded with gently dubbing at them with a soaked paper towel.

Once the lesser injuries were taken care off, the time has come for the elder boy to focus on the more serious ones.

The problem was the lack of equipment. Oxidized water won't do much against a dislocated shoulder and a twisted ankle.

He needed bandages, gauze and painkillers.

Things he'll only get his hands on if he goes to a hospital and steals it, since simply going to the pharmacy is out of the question because of the lack of funds.

"Now, I'm going to go get some supplies, okay?" Mycroft said, looking deep into the trusting blue eyes of his charge. "I promise I won't be very long, so stay here in bed and rest until I return, alright?" He then ruffeld the boy's spiky yellow hair.

"Alright, Maik-san!" Naruto responded after a few minutes of careful consideration. "I'll be good, believe it!"

Mycroft chuckled.

"I believe it." He assured him, with a small pat on the head. "See you in a little bit."

Having said that, the red-haired boy stood up and approached the door. Giving the little Uzumaki one last wink before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

His trip was cut short however, by a strong hit to the back of the head.

Before his body hit the floor and his vision turned black, Mycroft managed to catch a glimpse of his attacker.

A silver-haired man with a porcelain mask covering his face.

* * *

JA107: There...hope you like it ;)


	5. Chapter 5

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 5

"A truly strange interrogation part 1."

" _Myc! Hey Myc! Hurry up, you ninny!_ " _He saw a seven-year-old Sherlock call to him in the distance, waving his right hand back and forth. His form obscured by a strange fog, preventing Mycroft from seeing his brother clearly. "The butterfly is getting away!"_

 ** _What?_**

 _"Wait up, Sherly!" Mycroft hear_ _d himself scream back, trees and bushes appearing in his way forcing him to dig his way after the smaller child. "Don't run so quickly, I can barely keep up with you!"_

 _His body was moving on its own accord, he had no control over it…_

 _It's as if… it's as if he was reliving a memo-_

 ** _No..._**

 _Sherlock's child-like laugh erupted all around him._

 ** _Please_** ** _no…_**

 _"You're getting fat, Myc! Get going or me and Redbeard are going to leave you behind!"_

 ** _Not this one…_**

 _"I'm not getting fat, Sherlock!" **Not now…** "I just don't exercise as much as you do, anymore!" _

**_Please!_**

 _"Sure! Sure! Whatever helps you sleep, fatty!"_

 ** _Anything but this one!_**

 _And just like he remembers, he falls down, leg caught in a tree root. He scratches his knees when they touch the ground, and the pain feels sharp and real._

 _He bites his lips to keep f_ _rom screaming out and alarming Sherlock, but the smaller child turns around anyway._

 _"Myc? Are you okay?"_

 _Mycroft shakes his head and bites back tears._

 _"I'm alright, Sherlock! Go on without me I'll… I'll catch up with you in a minute!" He calls back, keeping his voice from quivering._

 ** _Please… just this once listen to me and go._**

 _But that doesn't happen._

 _Even without looking up from his injured knees Mycroft could hear the boy and his dog approaching._

 ** _No… No, damn it, no!_**

 _"Sherly you're going to lose track of the butterfly if you don't turn back now."_

 ** _You hear that, Sherly? You'll lose the butterfly you've been chasing after all day, if you_** ** _chose to check on the brother you'll end up hating anyway. So why don't you do both of us a favor and ignore me?!_**

 _But the boy kneel_ _ed next to him anyway, a clean tissue in his right hand._

 _"Silly, Mycroft." The seven-year-old said, gently wiping away the blood on Mycroft's right knee. "I'm not going to chase after a stupid insect while you're hurt."_

 ** _No… No, don't say that!_** _Mycroft felt his sanity_ _threatening to break. **Goddamnit, why won't you just hate me?!**_

 _"But… the experiment…" The elder Holmes tried to argue._

 _Little Sherlock snorted._

 _"What fun are those without the bestest big brother around to enjoy them with me?" The curly haired brat winked at him. "We're not going anywhere without you, aren't we, Redbeard?"_

 ** _Stop it… STOP IT!_**

 _He could hear himself laugh as the red dog barked and then proceeded to lick his face clean._

 _"Well… if that's how you want to spend the day…" The dream Mycroft said, a soft smile gracing his lips. "Just so you know, I wouldn't be mad if you went after it. I'm old enough to take care of a scratched knee or two."_

 _A minute later Sherlock squeezed the air out of him with a strong hug._

 _"You'd never leave me if I was hurt…" the curly-haired boy murmured against his chest. "So I won't either."_

 _The elder Holmes blistered against the close contact, even as his own arms moved to return the embrace._

 _"I love you big brother."_

 _That was the last time those words ever left the younger Holmes mouth and, just like the moment he realized they will never be spoken again…_

 _It felt like drowning._

* * *

He hoped this will end when his eyes open…

He prayed to _God_ that the memory will disappear now that he's fully conscious…

But it didn't.

In fact…

It only got worse.

At first all he saw was darkness.

Then his face became dunked into something _wet_ and _cold_.

Next thing he knew, he was trying to breathe in _water_.

Mycroft's eyes snapped open only to immediately close again, the saltwater making them sting.

Instincts kicked in before he could stop them, chest heaving to cough out the unwanted water.

He was rewarded with a fresh mouthful of ice-cold seawater.

Panic begiun to override his rational thinking, as he started to struggle.

Somebody was holding his head down…

He couldn't move… he couldn't pull his head up…

'Can't… Breathe!'

But, just as air in his lungs was about to run out…

"Soreha… jubundesu… Ibiki."A voice said over his own panicked thoughts. "Kare… o kokyu… sa sete."

He felt a strong hand tighten painfully around his ginger curls, sharp nails scratching his skull, before his head was brutally pulled out of the water into cold air, and sharp light.

Harsh coughs erupted from his lungs as he desperately tried to purge the inferior water out of them, the liquid falling noisily back into the bucket in front of him.

Before Mycroft had the chance to catch his breath and collect his thoughts, his head was jerked up again, towards the blinding light.

"Anatahadare?" A man in a white porcelain mask and spiky silver hair, appeared in his line of vision, swarming the poor redhead with questions. "Mura ga anata o okutta no wa? Naze anata wa jinchuuriki o totta nodesu ka?"

Mycroft's head was ringing, his thoughts were incoherent and there was a large possibility that he had a concussion.

But, even with all those factors working against him, he still recognized the masked man.

"You…" The fox-haired kid whispered, looking said man dead in the eyes as best he could. "You're the one that hit me."

He could hear a large number of people begin to murmur around him, probably wondering what were those sounds that just escaped his mouth, while the man addressed moved away from his face.

The masked man must have realized Mycroft recognized him because seconds later, his head was once again dunked underwater.

He didn't even have time to take a breath.

This time Mycroft didn't trash in his holder's grip, wanting to save what little oxygen was left in his lungs. Thankfully, the sudden silence in the water helped him concentrate on figuring out how he got into this mess and, subsequently, how to get out of it.

Given enough time he would have made a successful escape plan, despite the concussion considerably slowing down his thinking process.

It was rather unfortunate then that his captor chose to brutally pull him out of the water, before he was able to get very far.

Instantly his hungry lungs gasped for air like a dehydrated man gulps fresh water, before he was faced with the same masked man as before.

Mycroft blinked away the blurriness that came from being rid of air for an extensive amount of time, ready to look into the black holes that were the man's eyes.

Only… they _weren't_ black.

One of those eyes… was _red_.

Taken completely off-guard the fox-haired youth turned all his attention to the anomaly…

Making perhaps the biggest mistake he ever made.

Because, as it turned out, this _wasn't_ just a cleverly designed contact lens that he saw some of the members of the younger generations use for fun…

No…

That eye was _real_ …

And it was _moving_.

The black tear-shaped dots surrounding the iris began to spin, and Mycroft was… entranced.

Despite the alarm bells sounding off in his head… he kept on staring.

Couldn't… couldn't blink… couldn't… look _away_.

Just… _stare_.

A tiny voice spoke up in his head, one that wasn't familiar to him, telling him that he should try to think in… Japanese.

Mycroft frowned, not used to being commanded by someone that wasn't his mind's own creation, but tried to do so anyway.

Then the masked man began talking again but… this time he could understand him.

"Do _not_ play tricks on me, stranger." The man's voice was harsh and lowered to a threatening growl, but Mycroft could tell he was no older than twenty. "I know you can speak our tongue, I saw you use it when talking to the boy." Holmes's head snapped back from the punch. "Now _speak_!"

The ginger's head was spinning more harshly than before and a rusty taste of iron filled his mouth, as blood began to flow from the broken nose.

He knew he shouldn't tell them anything… he really did…

But his body moved on its own accord.

"Who…" He said, this time in the demanded language, then swallowed thickly to get rid of the nasty taste. "Who are you? What… what do you want from me?"

The hand holding his hair tightened again, making the boy hiss.

"So you _do_ understand us, brat." The man behind Mycroft chuckled darkly. "And here I thought Wolf was simply hearing things."

The masked man, now helpfully dubbed Wolf, ignored the comment and kept on gazing at him with that demonic eyeball.

"Who are you?" He asked, and the redhead realized he was echoing the same questions he asked a few minutes ago. "What village are you from? Why did you make contact with the jinchurriki?"

Mycroft's first instinct was to lie. To take on one of his many alter-ego's and make them all believe what he _wants_ them to believe.

But his body ignored his orders and answered with the truth, making the Holmes fear for his sanity.

"My name is… Mycroft Holmes." The tear-shaped dots continued to spin… just as the poor fox-haired child continued to _talk_. "I was not sent by… any village. I do not know… what a 'jinchurriki'…is."

A fist connected with his cheek before he was done talking.

"Don't think you can lie your way out of this, stranger." Wolf hissed, mask inches away from the ginger's face. "I saw you take him home! What were you planning to do with him?! Whose spy are you?! Did Iwa sent you?! Did they?! Answer me, damn it!"

Mycroft couldn't think straight anymore. Everything was spinning at ridiculous speeds and he could hear a nine-year-old Sherlock asking him to go outside and play pirates.

"W-What?"

He could feel his ribs cracking under Wolf's punch, more blood flowing down his chin.

"Your employers." The silver-haired man insisted. "Who _are_ they?"

"I… do not have… employers." Another truth… Why can't he shut up?! "Never heard of… a place called… Iwa."

"Why you-" He would have been hit again, if it wasn't for a newcomer stepping in and catching Wolf's fist mid-swipe.

"That's enough, Wolf." Mycroft looked up at his savior and immediately deductions began swarming his vision. "If you keep on using your eye like that, you'll end up in the hospital with chakra exhaustion."

Tall, ash-blonde hair, blue-green eyes, older than the silver haired man ( _clearly Wolf's superior, as shown by the ability to make him listen to orders_ ), red vest-coat muffled at knee-height, similar blond hair in the fabric ( _has a child… a boy, no, girl… about Naruto's age_ ), clothes ruffled and lacking in woman touch ( _wife dead/and or divorced, clearly not living in the same_ _household_ )-

The deductions were interrupted by his head being pushed into the water again.

Having been in the middle of taking a breath, the poor redhead ended up with lungs full of both blood and saltwater.

But, before he had the chance to properly drown, he was pulled upwards by the blonde man.  
"Ibiki!" Said man yelled at the person behind Mycroft, as the Holmes coughed out the liquid mix back into the bucked below. "That was uncalled for! You could have drowned the boy before we got anything useful out of him."

The person behind Mycroft chuckled sheepishly.

"Sorry there, Inoichi." The same gruff voice from before said. "Force of habit."

The man now known as 'Inoichi' to the concussed Holmes, rolled his eyes before rubbing his temples.

"This is getting us nowhere." The blonde shook his head, as he helpfully petted the red-haired boy's back when the coughs got harsher. "It's obvious neither violence, nor Sharingan-induced genjutsu will give us the answers we need."

"It would have, had you not stopped me." Wolf snarled, but his voice sounded weaker than before. Strange, considering all he did was throw a couple of punches.

"You can barely stay awake right now, Kakashi." Inoichi sent the masked man a glare. "Had I allowed you to continue, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

The silver-haired man growled but otherwise remained silent.

"So what do you suggest we do, then?" Ibiki asked, the deep rumble of his voice inches away from his back, making Mycroft shiver. "Hitting and drowning him does nothing, using genjutsu makes the brat talk gibberish. We're looking at two of the most effective methods of interrogation known to man, both of which flowed over this ten-year-old, without so much as ruffling his hair."

The young Holmes would be flattered to be considered tough in his captor's eyes, if he wasn't busy trying to get his body to function normally after being nearly drowned.

"Indeed. For someone who seems to have no shinobi training bare a bit of taijutsu, the boy seems to have quite the immunity to torture methods that were specifically constructed to break a well-trained ninja." Inoichi rubbed his chin in though. "Interesting."

A chuckle came from where Wolf, or 'Kakashi', was seated.

"Does that mean you're going to go in and see what makes him tick, Inoichi?"

That question successfully gained Mycroft's full attention, as his pounding head snapped up in alarm.

 _'Wait… what?'_

"Since it seems that we have no other choice in the matter… I believe my clan's special ability is in order." After presumably getting the nod of approval from 'Ibiki', the blonde placed his hand over the ginger's forehead, ignoring all his attempts at shaking it off.

"W-What are you-"

But Mycroft's question was left unanswered, as they both got sucked into his mind-palace.

* * *

Inoichi Yamanaka has been in various heads throughout his career.

He's seen the buzzing, loud and never-stopping minds of natural geniuses.

He has traversed the uncontrollable and often self-destructive thoughts of the mentally insane.

He uncovered hidden information inside Sleeper Agents, installed in them by Governments that wished to cause Konoha harm.

And he looked through the fidgety memories that flashed inside his victims' head as they realized they had an unwanted visitor in their heads.

At some point, the Head of the Yamanaka Clan though he had seen it all.

That the human brain no longer held any secrets from him.

He continued to think so as he slowly entered the mind of the young child they were now interrogating.

He stopped, however, when instead of an enormous brain appearing before him, he materialized in the Entry Hall of a giant, dark building.

Blinking away his confusion, Inoichi began making his way down the hall, his steps echoing loudly against the polished floor.

The building was unlike anything he has ever seen before.

All the walls reached up higher than the blonde could see, making it seem as if there was no roof, the floor was dark and smooth like a mirror. There were no windows, a dim light being provided by oil lamps adoring each wall.

Another thing that stuck out about the hallway was the endlessness of it as no matter how far he went, no end was in sight.

Like most hallways this one also had doors on each side. Said entrances were made out of onyx-colored wood and, like everything there, reached way above the Yamanaka's head.

Deciding to cut to the chase, Inoichi randomly picked a door and was about to twist the doorknob when…

"Can I help you?"

Not expecting anyone to be here with him the Yamanaka jumped at the sudden question, his head snapping towards the location of the new voice.

A tall man dressed in a dark-blue suit with red hair, sharp blue eyes and a black umbrella at his side was leaning against the opposite wall, an eyebrow raised in a bemused way.

Inoichi stared at the newcomer for a solid minute, still not quite sure how to react to the presented situation as something like this has never happened to him before.

"Well?" The man twirled his umbrella in his hand.

Hearing the man speak again somehow snapped the blonde ninja out of his frozen stupor, so he shook his head and narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Who are you, and how are you here?" Inoichi demanded, squaring his shoulders.

"I could ask you the same thing, Mr. Inoichi." The man said, voice cold and devoid of emotion. "Seeing as _I'm_ the resident and _you're_ the impostor."

"H-How do you know my name?" The Yamanaka backed away at that, shocked at the new revelation.

"Ah, I apologize. I forgot you do not know me in my current form." With a snap of his fingers the man disappeared, leaving a young red-haired boy in his wake. "Perhaps this will help."

Inoichi's eyes widened.

It was the same child he, Ibiki and ANBU Wolf were interrogating.

But this… this was all wrong!

He wasn't…

Maikurofuto wasn't supposed to be aware of his presence in his mind, let alone be able to confront him!

"This… this is impossible." The blonde shook his head. "How are you doing this?"

"For someone with the ability to enter people's minds, you don't seem to know much about how they work." The fox-haired child shook his head with a sigh. "I am the owner of this Mind Place, it bends to my will. Practically nothing happens without my knowledge."

That made Inoichi feel even more confused.

"M-Mind Place?" He never heard about a technique like that. Was it a Kekkei Genkai? Can it be achieved via meditation? How does it work? Does it have limits? What does one have to do to-

Shaking away his sudden fascination, Inoichi decided it was high-time he got what he came for.

He already wasted enough time.

"This changes nothing." The blonde proclaimed, turning his attention away from the boy and back to the door he meant to open. "I still have access to any information stored in your mind, your technique does not stop me."

"That may be so." Maikurofuto shrugged, not seeming particularly worried about information being stolen. "If there is indeed no way for me to prevent you from taking what you want, please, help yourself." He then gestured with his hand for Inoichi to continue.

A bit suspicious by the lax behavior, the blonde cautiously twisted the doorknob and then pushed it open.

"Though, I do think you will have quite a surprise…"

Trying to ignore the boy, the Yamanaka stepped into the room, immediately taking in the scene showing another dark room with the adult version of the red-haired boy, having a conversation with a couple of other people dressed in sharp looking suits.

Seeing that the memory looks like it concerned the Government that sent the child to them, the blonde ninja walked closer to overhear what they were talking about.

That's when he realized he might have a bit of a problem.

Particularly because he couldn't understand a word being spoken.

Every sentence sounded like a series of clicks and grunts, which had nothing in common with any language he knew.

"…because I've encrypted all my memories to prevent delicate information from being leaked via backhanded methods."

Feeling outsmarted, Inoichi turned back towards Maikurofuto, who was still leaning against the wall.

"But enough about me." The boy waved a hand and the door closed, the blonde appearing in the hall once again. "Let's have a talk about you and your strange world, shall we?"


	6. Chapter 6

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 6

"A truly strange interrogation part 2."

Mycroft didn't remember the last time he was genuinely surprised.

He _needed_ to know what was going on in the minds of people around him, it was part of what made him so good at his job. His ability to predict that something was going to happen long before it had the chance to hatch in the original perpetrator's head, has saved the country more times than it had any right to.

His way of thinking is constructed in such a way that there was simply no _room_ for such uncertainties in his life.

The elder Holmes thrived on the predictability that polluted the human race.

Even with him being in an entirely different world, he was convinced that there was nothing that could ever catch him off guard anymore.

The surroundings may be different but the average human brain always works on similar waves.

He has been proven right when visiting other countries, and he didn't expect the 'ninja world', as he began to call it, to be any different.

But when he suddenly discovered one of his tormentors, admittedly one that wasn't as bad as the other two, actually _inside_ his Mind Palace, he decided that perhaps, his world view needs to be reconstructed.

Inoichi's presence, while unexpected and quite shocking, didn't alarm the fox-haired Holmes at all.

He knew the Place won't reveal anything to the Japanese man without his full consent, even _if_ he was able to actually open one of the Memory Doors. That's what the encryption was for, after all.

In fact… the whole situation did little more than merely intrigue him.

Finally, there was something he couldn't explain using his own arsenal of knowledge.

Finally, there was something new and exciting.

Finally… there was something for him to actually _learn_.

With this in mind Mycroft stepped out of the shadows and confronted the blonde intruder, taking no small joy in seeing the confusion on his face when the memory he tried to look through turned out to be insanely encrypted, and he wouldn't be able to understand anything even _if_ he knew English.

When his control over the situation has been established, the elder Holmes changed the hallway they stood in into a room resembling one of his offices back in England.

One that's dark, gloomy and showing off his natural dominant aura.

With a curt nod he sat the poor fool in front of him in a chair, and proceeded with his interrogation.

"So tell me, Mr. Inoichi…" He began slowly, enjoying watching the blonde man squirm in the unfamiliar environment. "Why exactly was I being interrogated? As you may guess from the interior design of this room and the memory you managed to glimpse, I am not a novice when it comes to shady government business. Though I must say, nothing I have done warranted such drastic measures of obtaining information."

Inoichi swallowed and then fidgeted uncomfortably on the wooden chair he was placed on, clearly unaccustomed to being inside a Mind Palace.

"We couldn't take chances." He flinched at the sound of his voice speaking unfamiliar words, as Mycroft's mindscape automatically translated the Japanese into English. "You could have been a spy working for an enemy village."

"I wasn't aware children could be actively used in the war effort." The world Mycroft found himself in, turns out to be more unpleasant and brutal, by the minute.

"Surely this can't be all that surprising." Inoichi insisted, now looking at him with a bit more interest than fear. "Even here in Konoha children as young as eleven and twelve can be sent into the front lines in genin teams, if the situation is dire enough."

The elder Holmes felt sick, though he was careful not to show it on his face.

"So this isn't something unnatural to you…" he whispered to the man before him. "You've done this before, haven't you? Turned children into sleeper agents to infiltrate the opposing villages…"

Inoichi looked down.

"We all do what we must to protect our home."

"Nothing justifies what you're doing to those innocent children." The fox-haired man hissed. "Stealing their childhoods, turning them into weapons… making them fight in a war that began long before they were born."

"Sacrifices must be made for the greater good." The blonde's voice was sad but strangely accepting.

"Don't you preach to _me_ about _sacrifices_!" Mycroft's hands hit the desk. Somewhere in the middle of all this he reverted back into his adult form. "I have led a _nation_ for the better part of my _life_ , I had to make decisions that led to deaths of hundreds upon thousands of people, in order to save _millions_." He took a breath in order to calm himself down, as his outburst clearly startled his… guest. "Regardless of the reason why, what your village is doing is _insane_. How can any of you _live_ with yourselves, knowing that you're sending the future of your country to their premature _deaths_?!"

Mycroft knew this was none of his business and that he was crossing a line, but right now he didn't give a damn.

He was sent here to take care of one orphaned child, only to find out this world was _filled_ with innocent kids that were sent to the brutal battlefield before they've had a chance to even hit puberty.

And that he simply _cannot_ ignore.

"They know the risks and are honored to die for the good of the village." Inoichi's responses became sounding robotic in nature, making the red-haired man think they were rehearsed to a point where he had no choice _but_ to believe them.

It made Mycroft _sick._

"That's because you gave them no _choice_ in the matter!" Again his hands slammed the desk before him, causing the blonde flinch again. "They've been _raised_ to believe they should _die_ for their village whenever it calls for such a sacrifice, from _presumably_ a very young age! I would honestly be surprised if any of those children knew what a _musician_ is! Or a baker, or an athlete! Or about _any_ occupation, other than _ninja_!"

Eyes blazing and on the verge of emotional explosion, the fox-haired got out from behind his desk and walked up to the window to the right of it, and rested his hands on the cool windowsill.

Inoichi had nothing to say to that, so he only hung his head in shame.

"How old?" Mycroft suddenly asked, voice icy and dangerously low.

"Excuse me?"

"How old were they youngest killers your ' _Hokage_ ' sent to the front lines?"

The blonde interrogation specialist swallowed thickly, forcing the lump in his throat to go down with it.

"The man in the porcelain mask…" He whispered almost too quiet to hear.

Mycroft looked back at him, ice-blue eyes shining in attention.

"He… was the youngest genin Konoha has ever seen, at age five."

The window _exploded_.

Glass shards flew everywhere, cutting up the expensive chair seats and embedding themselves in the ebony desk. Inoichi blocked some from slashing away at his face but other, smaller ones still sunk their sharp edges into his arms and tights.

Despite it being all inside someone else's head, he still felt as if he had been stabbed for real.

Mycroft, despite his fist being the cause of the window breaking, was unharmed, though shaking with the pent-up rage he was trying to contain.

He then pulled his right hand from the window frame with a hollow chuckle.

"And people say _I'm_ a monster." Holmes then flicked his hand, tiny pieces of glass falling harmlessly to the wooden floor. "I would wager they'd quickly change their tune, had they met _you_. _Your_ actions make _me_ look like a bloody _teddy bear_." He chuckled again, it sounding a lot hollower than before. "And it takes a _lot_ of work to make the _Iceman_ look _warm_ in comparison."

Inoichi lowered his arms from protecting his face, still watching his companion for more impulsive actions. He could sense the red-haired man was nowhere near calm.

"One must wonder…" Mycroft began, sitting back behind his abused desk, his voice cutting like a sharp ice blade. "What kind of training could _possibly_ prepare _ten_ to _twelve-year-olds_ to fight against people nearly _twice_ their age, in a bloody _war_?"

Seeing the other man regain some of his earlier composure, the interrogator straightened in his seat.

"Make no mistake, we only sent teams that have mastered their jutsus and chakra control." He spoke up sternly, trying to soften the other man's vision of his home. "Wolf was a special case. A genius tactician and perfectionist when it comes to his elemental techniques, even at that age."

A look of confusion crossed Mycroft's face at the mention of jutsu, before it was replaced by the look of thought.

"I'm not sure I understand what you tried to say…" He said slowly, narrowing his eyes in concentration. "Where I come from 'chakras' are various focal point in the subtle body used in a variety of ancient meditation practices, collectively denominated as Tantra. They are treated as focal points, or putative nodes in the subtle body of the practitioner. These theories differ between the Indian religions, with many esoteric Buddhist texts consistently mentioning five Chakras, while separate esoteric Hindu sources will offer six, or even seven. They are believed to be embedded within the actual physical body, whilst also originating within the context of mental and spiritual fields, or complexes of electromagnetic variety, the precise degree and variety of which directly arise from a synthetic average of all positive and negative so-called 'fields', this eventuating the complex Nadi." He paused for a second. "Whereas 'jutsu' means either ' _technique, method, spell, skill_ or _trick'."_ Icy-blue eyes blinked. "I fail to see how any of those things can help children fight."

Hearing the, now no longer boy's, explanation of how he understands those words, made Inoichi remember that he's talking to a _civilian_ and not a trained ninja like himself.

"Your information regarding chakra is correct, however limited it may be." Mycroft blistered at the word 'limited', making the blonde wondered why. "It is an energy that flows within our body, yes, but it isn't used only for meditation. It can also be used in combat in the form of 'jutsus', techniques in which we use hand signs to manipulate the energy within us into any of the five elements, and attack our opponents."

Mycroft tilted his head. This was beginning to sound a bit… surreal.

Seeing that his audience had a bit of trouble contemplating what he was saying, Inoichi decided to show him one of the jutsu learned in the academy, The Clone Technique.

"I can see you're having a bit of trouble picturing what I mean." He stood up from his chair and took a few steps back to make space. "That is why I will show you exactly what performing a 'jutsu' looks like, if you allow me to."

After taking a few minutes to think it through the fox-haired man gave his consent, having his interest peaked by the fellow man.

Inoichi then began going through the well-known hand signs for the cloning jutsu, making sure to do it slowly enough for his audience to see each and every one.

Once the sequence was finished, a perfect copy appeared next to him in a puff of smoke.

Though Mycroft was _reasonably_ startled by the appearance of another Inoichi in his head, he didn't let it show on his face. Previous anger quenched by the temporary curiosity.

"How is this possible?" Holmes also left his seat in order to examine the newcomer up close.

"To create a non-tangible clone of oneself, one must first picture the thing/person he wants to clone. Only with said image in mind, the user may release their chakra in a specified spot in order for it to form the chosen image." Inoichi then released his hands from the seal they were kept in, his clone following suit a few seconds later. "The clone may be made to do anything the user chooses, which makes this a perfect technique to use as temporary distraction against your adversaries." To prove his point the blonde mentally commanded his carbon copy to do a backflip.

When said clone landed silently back on the ground, Mycroft's eyes sparkled in excitement.

"As you said it is non-tangible, has no shadow… makes no sound as it moves…" The fox-haired man walked around the ghost of a human, sharp eyes taking in every detail they could spot, before his head snapped up suddenly. "Is there way to make one that's tangible?"

"Yes, though that is a jutsu that only jōnin, the highest rank an active ninja can receive, level ninja can learn." The interrogator shrugged. "I shall show you if you wish."

"Please do." There were so many ways in which he could use that technique… so many possibilities, it practically made his head hurt from all its uses.

Again Inoichi nodded then proceeded with the well-known hand signs slow enough for the human eye to see, another clone appearing to his left once he was done.

This time Mycroft moved first, stepping towards the carbon copy and gently slapping it on the shoulder. Though expected, he was a bit surprised to feel solid material under his palm. The clone looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Mycroft noticed that Inoichi himself didn't move, nor did he react in any way, and immediately came to one conclusion.

"It reacted to my action…" The red-head whispered in wonder. "It has an individual thought process despite being connected to you in a similar way that the other one is..." With that realization being processed by his brain he breathed out and said: "Amazing…"

"That is only one of the many techniques we expect our young ones to perfect before sending them anywhere near the front lines."

The exited spark in Mycroft's disappeared immediately.

"They shouldn't be allowed into the warzone at all." He countered, voice turning icy. "Though I suppose you're not the one I should be sending my complaints to." Mycroft conceded after a few seconds. "That would have to be your leader."

"And you will get your chance to voice them to him… _if_ we decide you're not here to cause the village harm." Inoichi crossed his hands over his chest.

"The only reason I've been sent here was to ensure a small boy doesn't have to grow up alone." Mycroft stated with utmost sincerity. "I have little to no knowledge about _your_ village or any other, and I just learned what 'jutsus' and 'chakra' mean in your understanding." He then shrugged. "You must admit I pose a meek, if any threat to your home."

The blonde interrogator thought for a second.

"It is true that so far you haven't proven yourself to be any kind of treat… however, I must ask you to let me scan your… Mind Palace, for any signs of mind-control jutsus. Though you don't appear to be lying about not wishing to harm Konoha, I'd rather be sure."

Considering that in this world it is possible to control a person without said person's consent, Mycroft actually decided to show his good faith and allow the invader to look through some of his most recent memories, to put his worries to rest, purposefully avoiding the ones involving his meeting with the god of this ninja world.

They walked through them together despite Mycroft wanting nothing more than to bury those last few weeks, where he could forget they ever happened.

Watching his last conversation with his parents, felt like having old wounds brutally reopened.

Seeing himself sitting in his Diogenes speaking his last words to the only friend he ever had, about her taking over his empire once he was gone, made his heart clench in regret and guilt.

Reliving his own suicide was too much. Mycroft left the room seconds before his counterpart managed to pull the trigger.

A few minutes later, Inoichi returned to his side, face rather grim looking.

"This form you're taking right now… was it your father's?" He whispered, turning to the red haired man with a sympathetic look on his face.

Holmes looked up in surprise before remembering that the blonde only knew him as the ten-year-old child he was turned to, and came to the conclusion that his present adult form was taken from the parent he will resemble most, once he grows up.

Deciding it was best to let the man believe the explanation he came up with, the fox-haired former politician nodded.

"Yes…" Mycroft whispered quietly. "He was a political leader in my country, the best of his generation in fact…" He chuckled before sighing sadly. "Until he hit his lowest point, and the family he spent his entire life protecting turned its back on him." The proud ginger head was lowered. "He lost the only reason he had to keep fighting… leading him to the fate you saw displayed in that room."

"Was it…" Inoichi swallowed. "Done on your eyes?"

"No…" The fox-haired man sighed. "But I saw the body. It wasn't hard to put all the pieces together and figure out what happened, once I saw the hole in his skull."

They stayed silent for a while before the blonde announced:

"I believe I have everything I need to put forth the case that you are no danger to the village, as there was no hidden mind control seals placed in your subconscious." He nodded to himself before moving away from Mycroft, and preparing his hands to form the seals necessary to go back to the real world. "I shall now return to the outside of your mind, to arrange for your release and meeting with the Hokage once you recovered from our interrogation methods."

Mycroft nodded to him.

"Thank you." He stated, looking at the other man with newfound respect. "I'm glad we are no longer enemies."

Inoichi graced the red-head with a small smile.

"You're a good person, Maikurofuto." He began performing the hand-signs as he spoke. "I don't think the young Uzumaki could have hoped for a better guardian."

With those words he disappeared from the large Mind Palace.

Leaving Mycroft to enjoy the return of the solitude that normally occupied the ginger's mind, before he rejoins him in the real world.

He opened his eyes to the sound a door opening, and the shape of a blonde woman appearing in his line of vision.


	7. Chapter 7

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 7

"Red and yellow make orange."

When Mycroft woke up, the first thing he heard was a woman's scolding voice.

"I swear, Kakashi, it's like you're doing this on purpose just to make me worry!"

The person she was yelling at answered something, but he couldn't make it out.

"Don't you give me that crap! There are other ways to obtain information! You didn't necessarily have to use your Sharingan!"

Head still swimming in confusion, the red haired youth pushed himself to a sitting position.

A hand appeared on his chest, immediately halting his progress.

"Though I'm relieved to see you up and about kid, I do not advise sitting up just yet." Ice-blue eyes traveled up the extended arm, snapping up almost instantly when he got to the woman's chest. Child or no, he was still a gentleman. "Since you are a civilian, your body is unused to the feeling of healing chakra in your system so adjusting to the foreign power put it through quite the strain."

' _So not only can one create tangible and intangible copies of themselves using chakra..._ ' Mycroft thought, eyes shining with excitement and curiosity. ' _But also heal internal and external wounds that would usually take months or even years to heal, in a matter of hours?!_ '

He shook his head to clear it.

' _Is there anything this 'chakra' can't do?!_ '

"Mind if you tell me your name, kid?" The woman's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "I'd like to know the name of the person I just wasted two hours healing up to peak physical form?"

Reminding himself about this little thing called 'manners', Mycroft shook his head.

"I... apologize for my rudeness, my lady." He flinched at the sudden pain in his chest. His ribs may not be broken anymore, but it seems like either 'chakra' can do nothing about the pain the wound left behind, or his healer, used to fixing up people with more resistance to pain than a simple civilian ten-year-old boy, forgot to get rid of it. "My name is Maikurofuto Holmes, but, since it can be rather problematic to pronounce, please call me 'Maik'."

While waiting for a response, the youth took the opportunity to study his saviour a little closer, allowing his deductive thought process to flow freely.

 _ **The lady carries herself with a dignified, but untroubled manner:**_ _meaning she is a figure of authority, thought not one troubled by the burden of leadership._

 _ **Hair a nice pale blonde, eyes a striking emerald, cleavage large enough to interest males of every status and occupation:**_ _Though her finger bears no ring, suggesting a fiery spirit, not amused by the countless attempts at courtship thrown her way._

 _ **Hand is strong, fingers feel calloused against the plain material of my white t-shirt:**_ _Not only is she highly annoyed by the men proposing to her left and right, she also responds with something far more heart-shattering than a simple slap in the face. Punching is highly probable._

 _ **Upon closer inspection a faint outline of a ring can be seen adoring the ring finger of her left hand:**_ _Suggesting a previous relationship that ended with either a bad break-up or a death of the potential partner. I do not have enough information to confirm which one of those options is the truth._

 _ **Addressed 'Wolf' by his actual name, while scolding him for reckless behavior regarding the use of, what I can only assume, is his strange red eye:**_ _a large suggestion that they know each other on a personal basis, as total strangers wouldn't take such a large interest in each other's health. The fact that she accuses him if 'only doing this to make her worry' suggest that this is, indeed, a repeated offense on the man's part, further proving that previous encounters have occurred._

Further deductions have been disrupted by the lady knocking gently on his ribs to get his attention.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright? You've been staring at me for quite some time now."

Blinking quickly to get rid of the sudden dryness of his eyes.

"Oh… my apologies." He lowered his head in shame. "I did not realize I was staring."

Another knock against his ribs, though this time it was comforting.

"Hey there, don't beat yourself up about it. It's probably just a side effect of your body still adjusting to chakra-invasion I put it through, so no harm done."

The medic smiled warmly at him before turning to someone on her right.

"You see, brat? Those are called 'manners'. If even a small child can possess them, there is no reason for a grown-ass man like you to be ignorant about them!"

This time, however, Mycroft was aware enough to catch the grumble of a response.

"Now is not the time, Lady Tsunade."

Huffing under her breath, the blonde woman lifted her hand from Mycroft's chest, finally allowing the boy to sit up straight.

Seeing as his potential handlers were busy bickering with each other, Mycroft decided to take a good look at his surroundings.

Having full view of the room he was in, the red haired boy was rather disappointed to see that, even in an alternative universe where a mystical energy could heal wounds in mere seconds, the hospital wing looked just as miserable and sickly, as the one back home.

White walls glared at him from all four sides, the sunshine coming from a one large window giving the already blinding colors of the room even more shine, the hospital curtain around his bed looking worn out and rather old.

All this made a shiver go down his spine.

The last time he was in such a position, was when he got shot in the chest during a field mission when he was twenty-one.

It was a ghastly experience, filled with pain and nightmare inducing hallucinations, that he rather not go through again.

"Ah, is seems our young friend has regained consciousness." A new voice, one sounding much older than the ones already inside the room, sounded from the door.

Icy-blue eyes immediately narrowed down on the newcomer, assessing and analysing every bit of information they could acquire.

It was an elderly man, likely in his sixties or seventies, with a wrinkly face, wise black eyes, small beard and mustache, and a pipe sticking out of his mouth. The clothes he wore were also slightly unusual, but that didn't mean much considering how everyone else dressed in this strange world, as most of his body was covered by a heavy white robe, and his head was hidden by a large white hat.

"Sensei!" The woman, Mycroft assumed her name was 'Tsunade', as Wolf addressed her as such. "What are you doing here?"

 _ **Guard on each side, armed to the teeth and very suspicious of me:**_ _That fact alone leads me to the conclusion that this is someone with very high authority in this village, as normal citizens don't usually get top tier protection._

 _ **The clothes he's wearing seem to be a symbol of his position as, unlike Wolf's uniform which is worn by two other men standing guard at my window, is unique only to him:**_ _Most likely this is a very important businessman or perhaps, the leader of the village himself: the man I only know as 'Hokage'._

 _ **Though his hands are covered by the cloak, it's obvious that he is a married man, as signaled by the stitches on the old robe that were made with a woman's hand. At least one of his children is married and has their own offspring, as indicated by the baby prints around his neck:**_ _Despite having a position not dissimilar to my own, this is a family man that adores the presence of both his children and one grandchild, as there is no evidence of there being more._

Mycroft shook his head.

' _Having a family while having hundreds upon thousands of lives to protect..._ ' He sighed. ' _What a foolish decision..._ '

Lady Tsunade addressed him as 'sensei', the Japanese word for 'teacher' or 'mentor': This lets me believe the man was once either a teacher in school or a doctor. While it is unusual for a former professor or doctor to want a position in the country government, it is not unheard of and quite high a possibility.

His wonders about the identity of the man were ceased with Wolf's next words:

"Lord Hokage." The man bowed, low and respectful. "To what do we owe this visit?"

' _Ah..._ ' The red-haired boy nodded. ' _So this is the leader._ ' He chuckled. ' _Seems like our meeting might occur rather sooner than later._ '

"At ease, ANBU Wolf." The old man raised his hand. "I am merely here to visit our guest." He then narrowed his wise eyes at Mycroft. "I believe we need to talk."

Hearing the invitation/order in his voice, the fox-haired boy nodded and allowed himself to be led to the Hokage's office.

"You've caused quite the commotion for a mere civilian, young one." The older man finally said once they both sat down, Mycroft feeling rather strange as the last time he sat on this side of the desk was back in primary school.

' _He doubts I am all that I claim. Basically challenging me to tell him otherwise._ ' The man-turned-boy wasn't going to back down from the challenge.

"I am all that you see." He then gestured at himself. "I trust you have been briefed by your subordinate?"

"Indeed I have." He puffed his pipe.

"Then you must know that, aside from a few punches and kicks, I am not knowledgeable in the arts of battle. If we accompany that with my very limited knowledge of 'chakra' and 'jutsu', we can see that the level of danger I can bring against your village is insignificant at best." Icy eyes glared, waiting for the older man's next move. "Surely, there must be far greater threats out there, than a small boy, that took care of a few bullies."

For a second, the old man didn't respond.

He simply watched Mycroft with wise eyes, puffing his pipe.

"Your words ring true." He finally admitted. "In terms of physical combat, there is not much you can do to endanger our home… yet I do not believe you to be completely harmless." The Hokage let out a long huff and then met Mycroft's eyes with a sharp spark of his own. "Inoichi has gone into great detail about your little encounter inside your mind, and how unusual it was. I can even go as far as to say, he's rather intrigued by you."

"I fail to see why our encounter could be any different to what he normally experiences." True, the man did seem rather surprised by his Mind Palace, but that didn't mean everything else was an anomaly.

"On the contrary, dear boy, your little encounter was believed to be an impossible feat to a none-Yamanaka, as one captured by the Mind-reading technique is never aware of the other presence." He raised his elderly brow. "Tell me then, child, how were you able to accomplish such a feat with no ties to the clan, and no knowledge about chakra?"

' _This is a trap question._ ' The fox-haired boy thought, calculating his options. ' _He's expecting me to lie._ '

"It is nothing more than a simple party trick, Hokage-sama." He explained slowly. "I simply envisioned a large building inside my mind, to help me organize all my memories and data." He shrugged. "It's not a technique unique to my family, anyone can do it."

That is when Mycroft realized, he might have fallen into the old man's trap.

"Yet having such a technique allows you to be unaffected by our Mind-reading jutsu, one of the most effective in our arsenal." Ah, there it is. Mycroft could almost hear the proverbial teeth closing in on his flesh. "Moreover, you possess a photographic memory. One so honed, it is capable of remembering conversations happening years into the past with perfect accuracy, making it clear that whatever you see or hear, says there for all eternity. All this points to you being a one-of-a-kind genius, with an intelligence level so high it puts all others to shame." The Hokage rekindled his pipe, not taking his eyes off of the boy before him. "The way we see it, Mr. Maik, whatever village you originate from would have to be run by some rather incompetent fools, to not utilize you as a spy."

Mycroft smirked.

' _Well played, old man. Well played._ '

"Since you seem so sure in your deductions... Tell me, what village do you suppose I originate from, Hokage-sama?"

The other man didn't respond and the boy had to smile.

"Ah, it seems like you have no answer for that." He leaned over the desk, placing his elbows on the brown wood and forming a position his younger brother used regularly while in deep thought. "Allow me to make a guess as to why that is." He took a deep breath. "While I was unconscious you had your former student take a blood sample from the vein on my right arm, in order to compare it with those of your enemies. Since you know I don't come from Konoha, you expected my DNA to help you narrow down my place of birth." He smirked. "But brought you no such results, correct?"

"..." The Hokage stared at him long and hard before erupting with rather friendly laughter. "You're just as clever as we assumed you to be." He calmed down, though the mirth was still present in his eyes. "It is as you say. Your blood sample did not follow any of the patterns in our database."

"Leaving me as a child with no Homeland." Mycroft leaned back in his chair, not unlike he did back during in his days as the British Government. "Tell me then, dear Hokage-sama, where do I come from?"

"That does not matter." The man swiftly reflected the question. "Regardless of where you comes from, whether or not you are a enemy to my village, is yet to be determined."

"Then I fail to see the point of this conversation." Mycroft admitted, crossing his arms on his chest. "It's clear nothing I say will convince you of my alliance with Konoha, so why not simply place me under strict observation until I prove myself worthy of your trust, and be done with this complete waste of time?"

He was about to stand up and march himself out of the office but-

"Sit _down_ , Young man." The Hokage's voice turned commanding and cold, the man clearly using his parental tone to get him to listen. "Before I order my guards to keep you in this office by _force_."

He's lucky Mycroft was in no condition to fight him on this.

He's lucky the only thing that mattered to the young genius right now was getting back to his new younger brother, or Mycroft would have made plans to usurp his position purely out of spite.

But most of all…

The Hokage is lucky he sounded so much like his old mentor, it actually bloody _hurt_.

That alone made him return to his seat.

His, well let's be honest here, captor's face turned back to the 'friendly grandpa' expression he wore earlier.

But all they boy could see was the disappointed face of the man who molded him into the leader their country needed.

Uncle Rudolph Holmes.

"That's better." Smoke escaped the man's pipe as he exhaled. "Now… I believe this is where I inform you of my decision regarding your situation."

Mycroft said nothing. He never did when the elder Holmes spoke to him.

Because _all he can hear is Rudolph's angry, disapproving voice._

There was no Hokage, no ninja world, no new little brother.

 _Just an angry teacher and an idiot student._

' _How could you do this, Mycroft?'_ The boy's breathing sped up, and he swallowed the lump that formed around his throat.

' _How could you throw all that effort I put into training you away for_ _ **sentiment**_ _of all things?!'_

Mycroft lowered his head in shame, the words stinging more than he ever cared to admit.

' _You were such a promising young man, Mycroft…'_

The boy's heart stopped.

'Oh God…'

' _Such limitless potential… wasted!'_

' _Please… don't!'_

' _Maybe your mother was right_ _ **after**_ _all.'_

' _No… No! Please, don't! I… I can't take this right now! Please!'_

' _Maybe you really are nothing but a_ _ **Limited Idiot Boy**_ _.'_

Something crashed, and Mycroft suddenly felt very very empty.

His surroundings became nothing but darkness, and he thought he was going to faint.

He was about to give in to the blackness, to give up when-

"NO!" Something rather small and fluffy slammed into his side. "Hokage-sama, please don't lock up my big brother!"

Mycroft blinked.

Then he blinked again and again.

Was that…?

"N-Naruto?"


	8. Chapter 8

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 8

"Foxes look out for each other."

"Hokage-sama, please don't lock up my big brother!"

To say that everyone was shocked by the sudden appearance of the little Uzumaki, would be an understatement.

"N-Naruto!" Hiruzen called out, startled.

The boy just buried his face into Mycroft's white t-shirt, his small arms circling around his waist in a tight hug.

"Naruto..." The older boy breathed, his mind being pulled out of the downward spiral his thoughts were heading towards, grounded by the presence of another. "Naruto what are you doing here?"

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't keep my promise!" The blond cried, staining the T-shirt with his tears. "B-But, you're my brother, and I want to protect you!" Naruto then looked up at Mycroft, blue eyes shining with determination.

The fox-haired boy blinked, then mindlessly placed a hand on the younger boy's head.

"Naruto what are you talking about?" Mycroft asked softly. "We're not-"

"We are!" The Uzumaki argued before pushing his hand into his pocket and pulling out a crumpled up picture. "Look!"

It showed a young, Red-haired woman smiling at the camera, her purple eyes crinkling with happiness.

"This… is my-our mom!" Naruto smiled. "Look, Maik-san!" He points at the long red locks on the picture. "You look almost exactly like her! Your hair even matches her's in color! Only yours is a lot more curly..."

Mycroft didn't know what to say.

"Naruto..." Was the only thing that made it through his tight throat.

"ANBU Wolf once said I look just like dad with my blue eyes and yellow hair..." He grinned up at Mycroft. "But you have blue eyes too!"

"Naruto listen that doesn't-" Mycroft tried but the boy cut him off.

"Nobody ever tells me things about my parents, and I never had them growing up..." The boy tightened his grip on both the picture and on Mycroft's t-shirt. "And I know you've been taken from yours when you were tiny, so..." He then smiled brilliantly at the older boy. "Why can't your parents be my parents?"

There were a lot of reasons why this idea shouldn't work, but Mycroft was too choked up with emotion to say anything.

He felt tears, actual tears, begin to form behind his eyelids.

Mycroft... actually didn't know how to deal with this situation.

No one has ever… wanted for him to be near. His closest family, at best, just tolerated his existence. And it was only when they needed him to fix something, did they reach out to him out of their own volition.

For Naruto, a boy who he only met a few hours ago, to express more care and love for him than his own family was-

Mycroft pushed down the knot that formed around his throat.

"Naruto I-"

"You're my brother, Maikurofuto, because I adopt you!" The boy's embrace got even tighter if possible. "You're a Uzumaki now!" The little blond knucklehead then let go of Mycroft, and jumped into the Hokage's desk. "You can't put him in jail, he didn't do anything bad!"

The tiny boy actually looked about ready to fight the older man if he dared to go through with his plan, and that image snapped Mycroft out of his stupor.

He cleared his throat and then gently lifted the seven-year-old off the desk.

"Naruto… as much as I appreciate your intervention, the Hokage is right to suspect me." He then placed the boy besides him on the floor. "I'm an outsider with an unsettling resistance to one of their best interrogation methods. The Hokage is allowed to lock me up if he believes I'm a threat to his people."

"But-"

Mycroft silenced the boy with a gentle hand to the shoulder.

"No 'buts'." He admonished gently. "You should trust in your Hokage, Naruto. As someone who wants to someday occupy the position, you should know he's only doing what he thinks is best for the village." His voice softened, feeling a bit bad about using such a backhanded tactic to make the boy listen. "You would want people to trust your decisions, when you take his place, right?"

The Uzumaki child looked about to argue, but then backed down, opting to hug Mycroft instead.

"I don't want you to go." He sobbed into the Red-haired boy's chest. "I don't want you to be alone." His hands tightened around Mycroft's waist. "I don't want me to be alone, either."

Mycroft could practically feel his heart breaking between his ribs.

"Oh Naruto..." He swallowed as he hugged the tiny boy back. "I-I'm sure I won't be held there long."

"You won't be held anywhere, Mr. Maikurofuto." The Hokage's voice sounded from behind the desk, making the two boys look towards him.

"W-What?" Holmes stuttered, blinking in confusion.

"H-Huh?" Naruto asked, wiping away tears.

Hiruzen smiled kindly at the two.

"Considering the circumstances… I believe house arrest with surveillance 24/7 will be the ideal way to keep an eye on Mr. Maikurofuto." He stroked his beard. "Furthermore I believe you are in need of a proper surname, Mr. Maikurofuto."

Mycroft felt like his emotions were about to choke him again.

"From now on you shall be recognized as an official Uzumaki, and will take resistance with the jinchuriki." The Hokage puffed his pipe.

"H-Hokage-sama!" The silver-haired ANBU burst into the room, before Mycroft himself could say anything. "Is this really the wisest choice?"

"And why wouldn't it be?" Hiruzen puffed his pipe. "It will be easier to keep an eye on both of them if they're in one place, would it not? And it is clear that our new guest does not want to harm young Naruto in any way, shape or form, and that little Uzumaki is quite fond of him." The wise Hokage, winked at said boys. "It would be pointless to try and separate them."

Mycroft blinked.

"I… don't know what to say, Hokage-sama."

Hiruzen smiled at him briefly before turning serious again.

"Just make sure I do not regret this decision, Mr. Maikurofuto."

The newly named Uzumaki noded with utmost seriousness.

"I swear, I won't."


	9. Chapter 9

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 9

"We're in this together."

The newly named Uzumaki brothers returned home in relative silence, though for different reasons.

Mycroft was contemplating what his new status as an official "Uzumaki" means in the grand scheme of things, while Naruto stewed in worry.

"Are you… angry with me, Maik-san?" He asked while the other opened the door to the apartment, fumbling with his t-shirt. "Because I broke my promise."

Holmes blinked.

"Angry?" He repeated rather dumbly. "No, no, no." Shaking his red head, he knelt in front of the little boy. "Naruto I'm not angry at you. What in the world made you think that I was?"

The younger boy swallowed and continued to play around with his shirt.

"Well… you were quiet on our way home." He didn't look Mycroft in the eye. "Iruka-sensei stops talking to me when he's mad at me..."

Holmes let out a sigh and gently placed a hand under the younger boy's chin to guide his eyes upwards.

"Naruto, listen to me." He started softly. "Your arrival at the Hokage's office was surprising, yes, but I know why you chose to disobey me." He smiled then. "You were worried about me, afraid they'll lock me up and you won't get to see me again." Mycroft then pulled the smaller child into a hug. "How can I be mad about that?"

The hug he got in response was tighter than any other he remembered getting.

"Besides." Mycroft then pulled back, keeping his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "You and I are _family_ now." He then gently poked him in the nose. "And that means that I will _always_ take care of you."

And small, but genuine smile graced his lips. "No matter what..."

"Even if people treat you like a monster..."

 _He's a freak! A sociopath! A monster!_

"I'll stick by you. Keep you safe."

 _'If you need to hurt someone so badly, why don't you go after someone your own size? Like me?'_

"Someday... you might end up rejecting my help..."

 _I don't **need** your help, Mycroft! Shove it down someone **else's** throat!_

"You might start wishing me gone..."

 _God why are you still **here**?! Go bother someone **else** with your presence!_

"You may hurt me to make me leave..."

 _'Sherlock stop… you'll break my arm...'_

"You might try to kill me..."

 _'Not in the head please, brother-dear. I promised my brain to the British Government.'_

 _Then where do you suggest?_

 _'I know it may not be much of a target but… why don't we try for the heart?'_

"You might even end up hating me for everything I do."

 _You **hear** me, Mycroft?! I hate you! I **hate** you!_

"But that won't matter. I'll _keep_ being there for you, I'll _continue_ to protect you, I'll still _love_ you." Mycroft smiled and looked deep into Naruto's blue eyes. "Because _you're_ my _little brother._ " He then hugs him close to his chest. "And that's the _only_ reason I'll _ever_ need."

He could feel the small child start shaking in his arms and tears soaking his new white t-shirt, hands nearly squeezing the air out of his lungs with their strength.

It would hurt if Mycroft's chest wasn't already aching from all the memories from his previous life hitting him right in the heart.

He was holding onto the smaller child like a lifeline, hoping the resulting fallout didn't break him and his Mind Palace to a billion glassy pieces.

"I love you too..." Naruto whispered into his chest. "Niisan."

That one phrase...

Made the ache from years of abuse feel a little less painful...

It didn't go away completely, it probably never will, but...

It made him finally realize that… what happened was in the past.

It was done, gone, no longer relevant.

He had a _new_ family now, albeit one that's a lot smaller than the one he was in charge of before but… Looking at the shivering blonde in his hands...

Mycroft couldn't ask for a better one.

' _Maybe this time will be different...'_ He buried his nose in Naruto's spiky hair. _'Maybe I won't be the reason it gets ripped apart._ '

They don't know how long they stayed that way, before Naruto pulled back from the embrace.

He wiped his tearful face with his sleeve, and then looked right at him with a giant smile.

"Uzumaki brothers forever?" He held out his tiny fist.

Mycroft blinked and then smiled, tears freely flowing down his cheeks.

After wiping them away, he fist-bumped Naruto.

"Uzumaki brothers forever."

* * *

Kakashi watched the two boys interact from his spot on the tree near the window.

He still didn't trust the new kid, despite his oath sounding genuine.

They knew nothing about him, where he came from, or who sent him to Konoha.

Even more concerning was his so called 'Mind Palace' technique, the one that remains unrecorded in their data files about foreign kekkei genkai, and the fact that he seems immune to Inoichi's Mind Reading Technique.

But that was not the only thing that worried the young ANBU.

Despite only being exposed to it for a few minutes, the Yamanaka could already tell it was a very powerful ability. Being able to store information with one hundred percent accuracy with the additional ability to encrypt it so that no one understands anything, poses a significant threat to their village.

This meant he needs to be careful about what they allow the boy to see and learn about their home, out of fear that it could be used against them.

Unless Inoichi figures out how to bypass or get rid of the technique, Maikurofuto Hōmuzu might be the most dangerous spy they had ever encountered.

Plus...

He adjusted his position on the tree branch.

Maikurofuto has gotten far closer to the Nine-Tailed Fox Jinchūriki.

To Naruto.

The only reminder, his only link to his late sensei.

The last person from his old team.

Kakashi's hand moved towards the katana strapped to his back.

He'll be damned if he let the boy get hurt.


	10. Chapter 10

"Guardian of the Fox"

Chapter 10

"A lesson for both."

"Nii-san?" Mycroft, who was washing the old dishes that have been rotting for what seemed like weeks, looked over his shoulder to see Naruto peeking at him from behind the wall.

"Hm?"

"Can you help me with my homework?" The small child asked timidly.

"Of course, Naruto." The red haired smiled kindly. "Just let me finish up here and I'll be right with you, alright?"

"Okay!" The boy chirped and ran back to the small living room.

Holmes shook his head and went back to scrubbing one of the only two frying pans that the young Uzumaki had at his disposal, which was stained with something that resembled burned up cheese.

The tiny apartment was a mess and there was a _lot_ of cleaning ahead of him before it would even resemble a place hospitable for children, but he was willing to take up the challenge.

It's going to be their home until Mycroft could earn enough money to afford a bigger apartment.

Something which he will be _unable_ to _do_ unless he figures out how this village is governed.

' _What are the rules concerning children too young to be sent to the front lines who lost their parents and are left to fend for themselves?_ ' The young genius thought, scrubbing furiously at the burned cheese, nose wrinkling at the terrible stench that was being released in response to his actions. ' _In a village where most of the adults occupy the position of 'shinobi' situations like that must have occurred in the dozens, especially during wartime. Are they sent to an orphanage? Obviously not, Naruto being the prime example. Were they given to the village clans in the masses? Or were they placed in apartments just like Naruto's in larger numbers to save on space and money?_ '

Mycroft pulled the frying pan from under the running water, placed it on a rug where it can dry, and reached out for a pot. ' _Do I also fall under that category? Or do children my age already have first kills under their belts? Can a person like me, essentially an_ _ **illegal alien**_ _, become a ninja working for Konoha? If not, how else can I earn money to support myself and my little brother? Because I am definitely not staying on the government's payroll for the rest of my childhood._ '

Mindlessly reaching out to heat up the running water, he hissed when it hit his skin burning hot, and hurriedly twisted the other knob to allow cooler water to mix with it.

' _Hmmm… if, by any chance, I am_ _ **not**_ _allowed to train as a possible shinobi, perhaps I may serve as a test subject for Inoichi Yamanaka? He_ _ **did**_ _seem very interested in my Mind Palace and the potential it has as a spy tool. Hmm... maybe we can reach an agreement that both sides would benefit from?_ ' Though the thought of sharing something so intimate like the knowledge about Mind Palaces, a technique not many people were aware existed, with complete strangers did not sit well with the Holmes, he would do so if it gave him enough of a steady income until he's old enough to earn money in a different way.

Quickly finishing off the lesser challenging dishes, the red haired boy wiped them dry and placed them in their proper places in the drawers, before joining Naruto in the small living room.

The smaller boy was already waiting for him with his books and scrolls spread out on the small coffee table.

"So… what seems to be the problem?" Mycroft asked sitting down next to him on the couch.

"I don't know how to do this." The blonde responded, pointing out something on the blank piece of paper.

"Let me see." Moving the scroll closer to him, he began reading it's content. "Hmmm…"

Apparently it was a topic for an essay about chakra natures, the difference between them and the statistics in which they show up within the populous of different villages.

It was quite a demanding topic to give to seven-year-olds who, back in his homeland would be coloring pictures and doing arts-and-crafts. He wasn't sure Naruto's writing abilities were good enough to give it the proper intellectual depth it deserves.

Seems like the Hidden Leaf's school curriculum is a lot more advanced than what England, a civilised country, has to offer.

He wasn't sure if he should feel offended or grateful.

"Well… I can certainly see where you might have a problem with this assignment." Mycroft said slowly rubbing his chin. "But worry not, with a bit of research we can write you the best essay there is."

"Really?!" The young Uzumaki asked, eye wide in excitement and wonder.

"Of course." The red haired boy winked. "What's writing a little essay for the future Kage of Konoha and his older brother? Certainly not a challenge, am I right?"

"Hai!" Naruto chirped happily, jumping up and down from bubbly energy.

"I'm glad you're eager to start." Mycroft chuckled. "Now… where are the books on the subject?"

"Books?" Naruto squeaked. "Uh… Iruka-sensei only gave us scrolls to read…"

"Then that's what we'll use." Mycroft nodded, not missing a beat. "I'll read through them while you think about how to begin your paper, alright?"

"Okay, nii-san!" The blonde smiled before leaning on the couch and making a thoughtful face.

Meanwhile Mycroft excused himself and went to Naruto's room to gather the scrolls.

After finally finding the blasted things (his new brother and his old one seemed share the common trait of being incredibly messy wherever they went), he buried himself in lecture.

* * *

' _Well…_ ' The red-haired boy thought with a bit of disappointment. ' _That…_ _ **isn't**_ _exactly the amount of information I expected for such a broad topic._ '

It turned out that the "research scrolls" were filled with low-level scientist terms that mostly talks down to the readers. Truly, Mycroft shouldn't be surprised, as the kids in Naruto's class are only between six and seven years old at most, after all. But it's still _jarring_ that they're tasked with such complicated topics and given information that is cruelly dumbed-down for them.

Really now… even someone like _Anderson_ would feel insulted by this.

 _'There_ _ **have**_ _to be better papers on the subject than_ _ **this**_.' He thought, rather bitterly pushing the undeserving scrolls away from his eyes.

He got up and exited the room, heading back to where he left his little brother.

Unsurprisingly Naruto remained in his spot, undoubtedly trying to think of words to put on the assignment paper.

"Naruto put your jacket on, we're heading out."

"Out?" The small boy chirped, perking up. "Out where?"

"To the library." He stopped suddenly. "Konoha… _has_ libraries, right?" The red-haired boy asked just to be safe.

Naruto giggled at that.

"Of course it does, silly nii-san." He said jumping off his small couch. "It's just that… well…"

Mycroft raised an eyebrow.

"You… don't know where it is, do you?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

The boy looked down, suddenly very interested in his shoes.

"Uh-huh." He mumbled as quietly as he could.

Mycroft sighed quietly and shook his head with a smile.

"Come on then, let's go on a library-searching adventure."

"But _nii-san_ that sounds so _lame_." The blonde whined plopping face down on the couch.

"In order to be a good leader one must first learn as much as he can about the world he's about to help run." Mycroft stated sagely. "Besides, what happened to all that enthusiasm you had not two minutes ago, little brother?" Mycroft teased with a small smile.

Naruto pushed his head up from the couch.

"You never said anything about going to the _library_ , Maik-san." He whimpered.

"What's wrong about that?"

"The kids in my class said it's a very boring place." The small Uzumaki explained, his voice inches from a whine. "Full of dusty books, old people and a grumpy lady that says "shhhh!" whenever something _fun_ is going on."

' _Bah, stereotypes_.' Mycroft rolled his eyes.

"Don't believe everything your classmates tell you." He lectured wisely. "Libraries _can_ be boring, yes. But they can _also_ be very interesting and exciting."

"What do you mean, nii-san?" Naruto titled his head, eyes shining in genuine curiosity. Showing just how little he knows about the world surrounding him.

Showing how much he wasn't _allowed_ to experience due to the village's demonisation.

Showing how reliant he is on what he heard from his peers, to fill up the picture of Konoha in his mind.

And it literally made the red-haired boy's heart ache.

He swallowed then and plastered a smile on his face.

"Well…" Mycroft shrugged. "If you happen to find an entertaining book the library can turn into a literal portal to another world." He explained. "Think about it this way and suddenly... everything is different. The quiet allows you to focus and get immersed in the story, the old people become seasoned adventurers that can advise you on which world you should visit next, and the grumpy lady seems more like a guardian. One that watches over hundreds upon thousands of unique and special stories that could teach you more about the world you live in, than even the _best_ school could. All the while doing it in a far more exciting and interesting way than sitting in a classroom, and listening to a teacher preach about geography or history."

Mycroft finished his little speech, and looked at the small blonde who was staring at him as if he grew a second head.

"Woah…" Naruto breathed out, eyes shining. "I never thought of it that way!"

The elder boy chuckled.

"Are you ready to go to the library now?"

"I am more than ready, believe it!"


End file.
